You won't be able to buy some corded blinds starting Saturday. Here's why

Studies show corded blinds pose a serious threat to the safety of children. Now, manufacturers will have new safety standards to follow that will shorten or remove cords from blinds altogether.
USA TODAY

A study published in the journal Pediatrics found that from 1990 through 2015, 17,000 children under six, or almost two children a day, wound up in the emergency department for window blind-related injuries.(Photo: None, Parents for Window Blind Safety Parents for Window Blind Safety Parents for Window Blind Safety Parents for Window Blind Safety)

"The new safety standard is a direct result of ongoing industry innovation, technological advances and new product development," Ralph Vasami, executive director of the WCMA, said in a statement in January.

The standard will affect more than 80 percent of all window covering products sold in the U.S. and Canada.

"A curious child can quickly get entangled in a window blind cord," Gary Smith, senior author of the study and director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, said in a statement. "This can lead to strangulation within minutes, and the parent may not hear a thing because the child often can’t make a sound while this is happening."